Hoggicosa snelli Langlands & Framenau, 2010

Langlands, Peter R. & Framenau, Volker W., 2010, Systematic revision of Hoggicosa Roewer, 1960, the Australian ‘ bicolor’ group of wolf spiders (Araneae: Lycosidae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 158 (1), pp. 83-123 : 99

HOGGICOSA SNELLI ( MCKAY, 1975) COMB. NOV.

( FIGS 4F, G , 6B–D , 21A–E , 22 )

Lycosa snelli McKay, 1975: 313–316 , fig. 1A–G; Main, 1976: 141, fig. 32D; Brignoli, 1983: 450; McKay, 1985: 83.

Types: Holotype. ♀ from Western Australia: Towera Station, north of Lyndon River , 23°11′S, 115°07′E, i.1952, A. Snell ( WAM 69 /797);

Paratypes. Western Australia: 2 juv., Barradale, 18 km south, 22°50′S, 114°57′E ( QM W4021 ) ; 2 ♂, 1 ♀, Barrow Island , 20°48′S, 115°24′E ( WAM 74 /498-9, 71/1716) ; 1 ♀, Carnarvon , 14.5 km north, on NW Highway, 24°50′S, 113°47′E ( WAM 69 /1035) ; 2 juv., Lyndon Station , 23°38′S, 115°15′E ( WAM 69 /798-9) ; 1 ♀, 2 juv., Lyndon Station , via Carnarvon, 23°38′S, 115°15′E ( WAM 69 /803-5) ; 12 juv., Manberry, 7 miles from, towards Wandagee , 23°56′S, 114°10′E ( WAM 37 /117-28, published as 72/117- 28 in McKay (1973) ; 1 juv., Mardie Station , 21°13′S, 115°58′E ( WAM 71 /1718) ; 1 juv., Marilla Station , 22°58′S, 114°28′E ( QM W4022 ) ; 1 ♀, 1 juv., North Western Highway, 760 mile peg, near Marrilla Station Turnoff, 23°05′S, 114°32′E ( WAM 70 /163, 70/164) ; 1 ♀, Yannarie River , 23°15′S, 115°12′E ( WAM 71 /1717) ; 1 ♀, 3 juv., Yannarie River , near Barradale, 22°50′S, 114°57′E ( QM W4023 ) .

Other material examined: Forty-five males, ten females, and six juveniles from 25 records (Appendix S1).

Diagnosis: Males and females can be easily distinguished from all other Hoggicosa by the presence of a black line posterior to the epigastric furrow on the ventral opisthosoma ( Fig. 4F ). The male palp is most similar to that of H. bicolor but can be distinguished by the ventral process of the tegular apophysis, which is much larger and connected to the anterior edge ( Fig. 6B vs. 6A).

Description: Male: Based on WAM T65133, Woodleigh Station, 26°11′45′S, 114°25′24′E, WA. Dorsal shield of prosoma orange-brown, darker in eye quadrangle, with a faint radial pattern; covered with black and white setae. Sternum pale orange and labium brown with scattered white setae. Chelicerae dark brown with white setae. Legs orange-brown, with tibia, metatarsus, and tarsus somewhat darker, especially legs I and II. Opisthosoma dorsally cream with two small black patches on anterior half. Cover of white setae with longer black setae scattered. Opisthosoma laterally cream. Venter cream with characteristic black stripe below epigastric furrow, covered in white setae ( Fig. 4F ). Terminal apophysis of pedipalp large, strongly curved apically ( Fig. 21A ). Pars pendula transparent and connected to embolus near embolus base ( Fig. 21B ). Subterminal apophysis large, easily visible next to the terminal apophysis. Tegular apophysis with angular ventral process located apically with straight ridge to the apical point ( Fig. 6B ).

Female: Based on WAM T47612, Shothole Canyon, Cape Range National Park, 22°02′41′S, 114°20′14′E, WA. Dorsal shield of prosoma orange, black around eye quadrangle, no radial pattern with cover of white-grey setae. Sternum, labium, and chelicerae as male. Legs yellowish-orange, with patella, tibia, metatarsus, and tarsus somewhat more orange. Opisthosoma entirely cream with white setae, except for characteristic bar of black setae to posterior of epigastric furrow ( Fig. 4F ). Epigyne with anterior pockets not much greater in width than posterior transverse part ( Fig. 21C ). Internal epigyne with spermatheca base as long as wide and nearly as wide as anterior pockets ( Fig. 21D ).

Variation: McKay (1975) described the males of H. snelli from Barrow Island, off the north-west coast of Western Australia. As there appear to be slight differences between the tegular apophysis of mainland and island specimens ( Fig. 6B vs. 6C), both variations are figured here. In addition, the palp of a male found in the Kimberley region of Western Australia also shows variation in the tegular apophysis ( Fig. 6D ) and palea ( Fig. 21E ). These specimens are similar in all other morphological aspects, including the characteristic epigastric stripe, and we consider them conspecific. A female from Munda Station was found to have an enlarged epigastric stripe ( Fig. 4G ).

Figures

Figure 4. Hoggicosa species, abdomen (A–G) and habitus (H–I). A–C, ♀ Hoggicosa castanea (Hogg). A, dorsal; B, ventral, from Fisherman Point, Lincoln National Park, South Australia (SA), SAM NN15185; C, dorsal, from north of Lake Goorly, Western Australia (WA), WAM T47784. D–E, Hoggicosa brennani sp. nov. ♂ holotype from Taylorville Station, SA, SAM NN17017. D, dorsal; E, ventral. F–G, Hoggicosa snelli (McKay), ventral. ♂ from Kennedy Range National Park, WA, WAM T65149. G, ♀ from Munda Station, WA, WAM T53870. H–I, Hoggicosa wolodymyri sp. nov. from Taylorville Station, SA. H, ♂ holotype, SAM NN16408. I, ♀ paratype, SAM NN16409. Scale bars = 5 mm.

Figure 6. ♂ Hoggicosa species, male palp, tegular apophyses. A, Hoggicosa bicolor (Hogg) from Mt Vernon Station, Western Australia (WA), WAM T62336. B–D, Hoggicosa snelli (McKay). B, mainland male from Woodleigh Station, WA, WAM T65133; C, palpal variation from Barrow Island, WA, WAM T57697; D, palpal variation from Drysdale River Station, Kimberley, WA, WAM T56397. E–F, Hoggicosa alfi sp. nov. E, paratype from Lorna Glen Station, WA, WAM T53919; F, palpal variation from Nanga Station, WA, WAM T65565. G–H, Hoggicosa duracki (McKay) from Hope Downs Station, WA, WAM T65119. H, tegular apophysis ventral spur enlarged. Scale bars = 0.2 mm.

Figure 21. Hoggicosa snelli (McKay). A–B, palp, ♂ from Woodleigh Station, Western Australia (WA), WAM T65133. A, ventral; B, palea. C–D, epigynum, ♀ from Shothole Canyon, Cape Range National Park, WA, WAM T47612. C, ventral; D, dorsal. E, palp, ♂ palea variation from Drysdale River Station, Kimberley, WA, WAM T56397. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

Figure 22. Distribution records of Hoggicosa natashae sp. nov. (grey circles) and Hoggicosa snelli (McKay) (white circles).